From the Maya to the Caribbean

from Campeche to Palenque to S. Cristobal, San Juan Chamula

Campeche 07/08/08 At 9:05 the bus leaves for Campeche. All ok, air conditioning, bathroom and tv. Before leaving, the driver makes the sign of the cross and the thing is not reassuring; we're in the first seats, better fasten our seatbelts. Checkpoint, three men in uniform, armed, check the luggage compartment and then give us the go-ahead; we leave Yucatan and enter Campeche. The town looks very colorful and lively, gorgeous sun; we stay in the center, beside the cathedral, at the Posada hotel; it's 1:30 pm, we take a stroll along the seafront and go to the La Parroquia restaurant (good tip from the taxi driver). In the evening, torrential rain; we wait for it to pass then go out to see the town lit up. Dinner at Casa Vieja on the large terrace overlooking the square; the view of the illuminated cathedral is fantastic.

In the morning, we have 2 hours of waiting for the bus and decide to take a taxi tour since yesterday with the rain we didn't see much. The taxi driver, a woman, very kindly shows us the highest and oldest part of Campeche. Palenque 08/08/08 11:10 bus to Palenque. Along the route you see many shacks with straw roofs, small essential neglected structures, lots and lots of children everywhere, while on the bus the tv shows a documentary about the Italian coasts. The Palenque bus station is reminiscent of the far west; on the side of the road the ticket office with a canopy in front and 4 benches in a row. We stay overnight not far away in a modest but welcoming hotel, and have dinner at the Las Tinajas restaurant, a characteristic place with a menu well assorted for quality/price. As always at the restaurant the classic little bowl arrives that's fire on the tongue, better to avoid it.

- Saturday - Departure at 8 in a small bus for the tour of the archaeological zone - Misol Ha - Agua Azul We enter the archaeological zone of Palenque; the guide accompanies us up the temples telling us about King Pacal and the Red Queen; the buildings are immersed in a forest of enormous green plants and the monkeys leap from branch to branch emitting loud howls that make this place even more fascinating. With our noses in the air we're fascinated by this wonderful coexistence of wild, green nature with ancient Maya history. The big Misol Ha waterfall doesn't impress us that much, while Agua Azul is truly beautiful with its waterways, waterfalls and many small pools at various levels where people, Ugo included, go swimming.

Everywhere there are shacks selling everything, from souvenirs to fried chicken to pieces of fruit to tortilla (bread) stuffed, there are many colors and smells but for us there's nothing tempting and hygiene is certainly not at home here. S. Cristobal de las casas – Chapas 10-11/08/08 Transfer from Palenque to S. Cristobal by luxury bus. The journey is dramatic; nausea takes over and forces me to use the bathroom several times. I miss our camper. We arrive in S. Cristobal; it's pouring rain, the streets look like rivers, which is why the sidewalks are so high; we take a taxi to the agency to book a minibus for Guatemala, after which straight to the hotel; I absolutely have to lie down, I feel destroyed. Luckily at 4:30 pm I wake up and feel much better; we go out for a walk in the center.

The evening is cool but beautiful; we make it to the Na Bolom Cultural Center and manage to book tonight's dinner. At seven we all meet together in a large room with the fireplace lit, seated around a single long table; the setting and atmosphere are very characteristic, and despite not knowing the languages, we find ourselves chatting or at least understanding each other all together while dining. It's a beautiful experience. Worth trying! In the morning we set off as a group with a woman who will be our guide for San Juan Chamula.

First stop in Zinacantan, where we continue on foot along country paths while the guide recommends not photographing people because they believe that way we steal their soul; she explains that this people has a particular cult of the dead and of death, that most children until recently were not schooled and that to this day witchcraft rites are practiced to ask for health, fertility and more. Walking among fields of vegetables and flowers we arrive at the square, at the church. A procession of people wearing costumes of blue fabric with fuchsia designs is heading toward the home of a shaman "great chief" to celebrate. The guide continues explaining the various rites to us and, entering the church, we realize how right she was. The floor covered with pine needles, lit candles of various colors, women kneeling with chickens to "sacrifice," an atmosphere that is, to say the least, medieval.

We return in pouring rain, like every afternoon. Tomorrow we cross the border into Guatemala. Tuesday morning at 7, we leave from the Chincutik agency in S. Cristobal for Guatemala - Panajachel. There are 7 of us in a minibus: a couple of Israelis, a couple of Australian kids, a Mexican psychologist going to take a course in Guatemala, and the two of us. The journey will be long but it's pleasant right from the start; the day is beautiful and Hector (the psychologist) is very friendly, talks with everyone, jokes, tells us about himself and translates for those who speak English; time passes quickly. We arrive at the border, get out, walk past the big sign welcoming you to Mexico; we have it behind us, we're in Guatemala. The usual procedures, the line at the counter for passport checks, changing pesos into quetzales, and then we set off again in a new minibus.

Lake Atitlan - Rio Dulce -

At five o'clock we arrive at Lake Atitlan in Panajachel, we head to the dock to take the lancha (boat) to Jabailito, the public lancha arrives, we get on and in a few minutes there are many of us crammed onto the boat; it's dusk, it's almost six o'clock when it departs. The water splashes onto us, the helmsman covers us with a nylon sheet but the water drips everywhere onto the people tossed this way and that by the waves and obviously we're all soaked but, finally, we reach the shore. A man takes our luggage and climbs the stairs toward the entrance of the hotel, Casa del Mundo. The place is stunning, the hotel is perched on the lake, unfortunately it's dark and we can't see much, we go up to the entrance and the lady welcomes us telling us that dinner is almost ready, she shows us our room on the terrace.

The dining room is lit with many candles, all together we sit around the single long table set for dinner, the meal is simple but it's very pleasant to share the evening with so many foreign people, I truly feel like a citizen of the world. We fall asleep lulled by the drumming sound of the heavy rain, with the curtain open and the view of the lights on the lake, the scene is more than pleasant, we're proud to have made it here. Wednesday at 5:30 we're on the terrace admiring the volcano in front of us that slowly frees itself from the clouds, a few photos, a walk to inspect the place that we discover to be more and more beautiful. We decide to go on foot wandering around the surroundings as far as Jabailito and Santa Cruz.

Wednesday, August 13 - the trip from Panajachel to Chichicastenango is very calm, we're alone in a minibus with the driver telling us about his family and his seven children. The Hotel Mayan Inn is absolutely the best among those we've seen and certainly very unusual. The rooms have no key and, get this, each room has its own personal "Butler" who satisfies the client's every need. I assure you that after an initial perplexity it's very nice to feel "important", even if only for a short time. We manage to take an afternoon stroll in the square where the preparations for the big indigenous market begin. Unfortunately it's drizzling but the street vendors, truly numerous, keep setting up their stalls made of long wooden poles and nylon.

The next day the effect is overwhelming, incense burns in front of the church, the square is covered with fabrics, carpets, bags, flowers, masks, jewellery with a fascinating variety and intensity of colors; the market draws in all passersby, especially tourists, who at the vendors' cry of "hey amigo/a" begin an endless negotiation down to the last price. Obviously we make lots of purchases and then off to Antigua. Friday - Antigua - Hotel La Posadita - cosy and comfortable. We visit the coffee Finca now largely used as a hotel. Immense gardens, a large pool and big, well-furnished halls make it a very beautiful and elegant setting. We then visit the hotel/restaurant Santo Domingo, a former monastery, there are museums, antiquities, beautiful gardens with parrots, a charming colonial atmosphere, and a stroll inside is pleasant. Saturday at 6, minibus to Vulcan Pacaya 2500 m.

We arrive at about 1700 m, then continue on foot, wisely we've worn our hiking boots. The climb is tiring but, gradually, the great black smoking peak appears, the landscape undergoes a true metamorphosis. Our guide leads us to see the glowing fissures, the wavering air blurs the figures creating a surreal atmosphere, less than a metre below our feet lava flows. For the return the guide proposes a shortcut that, as he says, "is like skiing". My white hair makes everyone doubt my abilities, I reassure them and go down. Our feet sink into the thick dark sand and we really have to slide. Around 12:30 we return to Antigua, an exceptional lunch at Quezo y Vino and then we treat ourselves to a gelato at the restaurant Panza Verde, an elegant and distinctive place. Evening stroll from the parque central to the great arch through the cobbled streets from block (intersection) to block.

At the hotel they advised us not to come back late so as not to risk nasty encounters, unfortunately in Guatemala we received many warnings of this kind. What a shame! Sunday, August 17, at 4 the minibus departs, from Antigua to Guatemala where we'll take the coach. The coach is very spartan, without air conditioning, a single door at the front, which at each of the numerous stops the ticket collector has to push hard to close. At 12 o'clock we arrive at Rio Dulce, the lancha is already at the dock ready to leave. The route is fabulous. The boat speeds over the water hugging the banks of the great river, the vegetation is dense, very green, the plants and palms are very tall and covered with various species of birds, this is jungle. After about an hour and a half we arrive at the Hotel Finca Tatin.

Carlos shows us our dwelling, a wooden stilt house with a thatched roof, the windows and every crack with mosquito netting, even the bed is wrapped in mosquito netting, we're surrounded by plants and flowers on one side and the river on the other. The atmosphere is a bit mysterious and wild, very evocative. Afternoon in a kayak on the river, we're clumsy with the oars, but the water is calm and the day is beautiful, the spectacle of the vegetation and the silence that reigns give us so much serenity. We swim together in the river and get ready for dinner. All around a big table we eat the chicken just cooked on the large bonfire beside the river. Monday early in the morning we sit on the pier watching the river. The boat carrying the boys to school passes by, after a few minutes another one passes with the girls, the sound of the engine almost disturbs the absolute silence.

A canoe glides at water level in front of us, the man who keeps rowing with a steady and sure motion wishes us good morning smiling. For us it's incredible to be able to live without a car, without our comforts, but everyone here seems very content and serene.

Tikal

Carlos takes us in his boat to the mouth of the river, to Livingston. Here the atmosphere is very different; everyone is black, rasta, with brightly coloured clothes and turbans. The beach is long and narrow, the palms reach all the way to the sea, the water is calm and warm and the landscape is all that anyone arriving in the Caribbean expects. A swim is a must, we enjoy this place that combines the charm of the tropical jungle with the Caribbean sea. After eating a nice plate of grilled prawns we return to Finca Tatin. In the afternoon we set off for a tour in the jungle. The guide, Gerardo, a 27-year-old guy with no teeth but very friendly, accompanies us along paths through this vegetation as far as the tiger cave and then on to the Indian village.

Gerardo proudly shows us his house which is just a poor hut of reeds and straw with a small fire, two hammocks for the children and a makeshift bed for him, the floor is dirt and there is neither furniture nor appliances. To us everything seems incredible but the dignity and serenity of the people we have met up to now makes us think about better evaluating the truly important things in life. Tuesday we return by boat to Rio Dulce to continue by bus toward Tikal. The bus, or rather a wreck that looks like a bus, arrives at 10 and is already full with many people standing, we get on and immediately realise that it won't be a particularly pleasant trip. After less than an hour a cheeky boy gives me his seat "my white hair struck" I sit down.

I watch the people getting off at the numerous stops and at the two police checkpoints, there's the lady with trays tied together full of eggs, the man with a box that has a small hole in the top probably to let the chicken breathe, the lady in the front row holds a big cup of cut fruit that she slowly brings to her mouth while the man in the fourth row holds a plate of rice and chicken just bought at the last stop. About 40 kilometres before Tikal we get off to wait at the stop for a minibus to Tikal to pass. We wait confidently until the driver of a school bus informs us that the minibus won't be coming today and invites us to get on. We get on and he explains that what he's doing is his last trip as a school bus and then he can take us. We accept and at 15:30 we enter the archaeological park. We settle in at the Jaguar Inn hotel and then off we go into the Mayan area.

The area is very different from other Mayan sites like Uxmal and Palenque. Here to reach the temples we walk long paths in the heart of a great tropical forest; besides the marvel of the ruins we observe many small and large animals such as giant ants, grasshoppers camouflaged on the trees, a hummingbird on its little nest, howler monkeys swinging, a big black hairy spider, various insects, mysterious and unknown birds, all this gives Tikal a particular charm. Back at the hotel we meet Toni, an American teacher who is here to study birds. With her we spend a pleasant evening chatting. As every evening at nine there's a blackout, candles are lit and until morning the lights won't come back on. Wednesday at 4:30 the tour departs. It's dark, with a torch in hand we walk the path toward the central Mayan square, there's a great silence.

Arriving at the temple we climb the wooden staircase and sit on the top, it's 5:30, we all sit in silence waiting for dawn. In front of us the jungle still dark wrapped in a light mist that slowly moves revealing the tops of other temples, the light gradually increases changing the colours of the scene and finally the great golden circle appears on the horizon. Everything seems to come to life, the silence gives way to the sounds of the animals waking and moving, what were previously silhouettes now define themselves and the forest appears in all its beauty. We remain silent admiring life, nature that from sky to earth overwhelms us and will never cease to amaze us. In the afternoon we go to the airport at Flores. On a small plane, 28 seats, we return to Guatemala City, from where the return flight will depart.

Sometimes we missed our travelling home but the adventure compensated for this "betrayal", never as on this occasion have we felt citizens of the world and proud of it. Francesca and Ugo taken from